Collapsible wire freezer basket



Nov. 12, 1957 E. J. BuzlcKY ETAL coLLAPsIBLE wIRE FREEZER BAsxET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 9, 1953 r lvEN'roR Edmund JL Baz/Urz;

A .O mam. m W 0% .N w W W 7 United States Patent COLLAPSIBLE WIRE FREEZER BASKET Edmund Buzicky and Everett E. Beson, St. Paul.,

Minn., assiguors, by mesne assignments, to Whirlpool- Seeger Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application November 9, 1953, Serial No. 390,884

8 Claims. (Cl. 220-8) This invention relates to an improvement in collapsible Wire freezer basket and deals particularly with a basket useful in supporting frozen foods near the top of the cast like freezer.

Frozen foods and the like are sometimes placed within a basket suspended in a well type freezer. The basket not only perrnits articles of a particular type to be stored together but also permits the articles to be readily removed from the freezer if it is desired to look for a particular package. The depth of such baskets depends upon the amount of material which is stored in the freezer and also in the amount of frozen foods which are supported in the basket. If the amount of food to betsupported in the basket is relatively small or if the body of the freezer is well filled with foods it is preferable to employ a relatively shallow basket for this purpose. However, if the body of the freezer is not filled and if it is desired to place a considerable quantity of frozen foods in the basket, ailarger basket is convenient and necessary; A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a basket which vis variable in depth depending upon the desiresof the owner of the freezer. i

An object of the present invention resides in the provisionr of a basket designed for use in a freezer, or the like, and which is provided with a bottom section and a top section. In one position the bottom section may be collapsed into the top section so as to reduce the depth of the basket. In another position the bottom section may be lowered to form a continuation or an extension of the top section so as to form a basket of considerable depth. Thus the size of the basket may be varied to suit the conditions under which the basket is used.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a collapsible basket which includes a generally rectangular frame having handles or supports thereupon by means of which the frame may be supported. This first frame is provided with an open top and an open bottom. A second basket section is provided with rectangularly arranged walls which are in telescoping relation with the first mentioned frame. This second section is provided with a bottom which forms the basket bottom. When the two parts are telescopeditogether the basket formed is relatively shallow. When the two parts are in expanded form the basket is relatively deep and can accommodate substantially twice as much as in its collapsed form.

A further feature of the present invention resides in basket of increased size.

A further feature 'of the present invention resides in the fact that the latches are so arranged as to fiex auto- 'W AlC matically as the bottom section is raised. By holding the upper section stationary and raising the bottom section or conversely by holding the bottom section and lowering the top section, the latches automatically spring into engagement to hold the basket in elevated position untilv it is manually released.

An added feature of the present invention resides in the provision 'of means for limiting the lowering of the lower section. The upper section of the basket is provided at its lower end diagonally extending corner pieces which engage beneath the upper portion of the frame of the lower section to prevent the lower section from passing entirely through the upper section. When thus engaged the lower section is firmly supported at each corner thereof.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more fully and clearly set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part lof the specification:

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a portion of .a Well type freezer showing the basket supported therein in expanded position.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the basket in collapsed position.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through an end portion of the basket showing the manner in which the resilient latches on the lower section engage the upper portion of the frame of the upper section.

Figure 4 is a perspective detail showing the resilient latches on the lower section.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the upper frame section.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the lower basket section.

Figure 7 is an end elevational view of the bottom basket section.

Figure 8 is a detail view'showing the manner in which the lower frame section is limited in its downward movement by the upper basket section.

The collapsible Wire freezer basket is illustrated in general by the letter A. This basket is designed to be supported within a well type freezer, such as B. In the particular arrangement illustrated the inner liner 10 of the freezer is provided with a pair of opposed angles 11 which are arranged in opposite parallel relation and which act to support opposite ends of the basket A in a manner which will later be described more clearly.

The basket is formed in two parts, the upper part or section being indilcated in general by the numeral 12 and the lower being indicated in general by the numeral 13. The details of construction 'of the upper section 12 are best illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. The upper section 12 includes a generally rectangular Wire frame 14 and a generally rectangular Wire frame 15 at the lower end of the section. The lower frame 15 is slightly smaller in its dimensions than the upper frame 14 and this lower frame 15 is provided With diagonally extending corner portions 16 which connect each frame side With the adjoining frame end. These diagonally extending corner parts 16 are clearly shown in Figures 5 and 8 of the drawings.

The frarnes 14 and 15 are connected by generally vertically extending spaced wires v17. These wires 17 are provided at intervals entirely about the frames. As indicated in Figures l, 2, and 5, of the drawings handles 19 are provided, one on each side of the upper frame 14. Each handle includes a pair of end portions 29 which are secured to the frame 14 and extend outwardly and downwardly therefrom and a cross connecting member 21 connecting the lower edges of the portions 20. The handles 19 are arranged in diagonally opposed relation, one handle being located near one end of the frame and the -other handle being near the opposite end of the frame. The

basket may be lifted by the handles 19 whether the basket is in its collapsed form or in its expanded form.

A pair of end handles are supported at each end of the section 12 so as to support the basket. Each handle includes a pair of spaced supports 22 which are connected at their upper ends by a transversely extending member 23. The upwardly extending members 22 are attached to the lower frame member 15 and to the upper frame member 14 and outwardly offset sornewhat above the level of the section 12 as indicated at 2.4. The upper ends 25 of the upright portons 22 extend horizontally in a direction outwardly from the center of the basket. These upper ends 25 are connected to the ends of the connecting members 23.

The lower portion 13 of the basket is forrned as best shown in Figures 4, 6, and 7, of the drawings. The basket portion 13 includes an upper rectangular frame 26 which is slightly smaller than the frame 14 of the upper basket portion 12 and which is capable of fitting inwardly of the wires 17. The ends 27 of the frame 26 are secured to the upper extremities of U-shaped wires 29 which are arranged in parallel spaced relation. The sides 30 of the frame 26 are also connected by parallel U-shaped wires 31. The bottom portons of the wires 29 and 30 may be by-spot welded together to form a Wire basket.

Latched members 32 are connected to opposite ends of the basket and are capable of supporting the basket portion 13 in a raised position. These latches 32 include parallel wires 33 and 34 which are parallel to the bottom portons of the U-shaped wires 29 and actually take the place of two of these bottom wires. 'The latches also include upright portons 35 and 36 which extend parallel to the upwardly extending end portons of the U-shaped wires 29. The portons 33 and 34 of the latches are spot welded or otherwise connected vto the crossing wires 31 but the uprights 35 and 36 are not connected to the ends 27 of the frame 26.

As is best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings the upper ends of the upright portons 35 and 36 are provided with outwardly directed latch portons 37 and 39 respectively which extend over the frame ends 27. These outwardly directed portons are connected by downwardly inclined portons 40 and 41 to loops 42 and 43 which in turn are connected to inwardly and upwardly inclined portons 44 and 45 connectedby a connecting portion 46 which is parallel to the frame ends 27.

The wires forming the latches are sufiiciently resilient so that these portons may be fiexed inwardly and the downwardly inclined portons of the latches clear the ends of the frame 14 of the upper portion 12 of the basket.

As shown in Figure 2 of the .drawings the 'latches 32 normally hook over the ends of the frame 14 and support the lower section 14 of the basket in an elevated position. 'I-Iowever, if it is desired to enlarge the basket it is only necessary to draw the cross bars .46 .of the latches 32 inwardly, lifting the lower section slightly so that the hookends of the latches are freed from the frame 14. The basket may then be lowered until the corners 47 of the frame 26 rests upon diagonally ex- `tending corner portons 16 of the lower frame member 15 of the upper section 12. When in this position the basket is substantially double in size in `the particular arrangement illustrated.

The upwardly inclined Vportons 44 and 45 `of the latches 32 engage against the ends of the frame 14-when the lower section 14 is raised relative to the upper section 12. In other words lthese inclined portionsfact as cams to spring the latches inwardly.

In operation the basket is placed within the refrigerator so that the members 23 rest upon supporting reels and angles 11. If the shallow basket is'desiredthe lower section 13 is held in elevated position by`the latches '32. If desired the basket may be removed from the freezer by the handles 19. If a larger basket is desired, the latches 32 may be flexed inwardly and the lower section lowered. i

In collapsing the basket it is usual practice to remove the basket from the freezer and to rest it upon a table or the like. The upper section may then be pushed downwardly until the latches 32 are first flexed inwardly and then snapped outwardly over the ends of the frame 14 of the basket section 12.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principles of construction and operation of a collapsible wire freezer, and while we have endeavored to set 'forth the best embodirnent thereof, We desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

l. A collapsible freezer basket including a pair of basket sections in telescoped relation, a first basket section comprising a generally rectangular wall having supporting means attached to opposite ends thereof, the other section being slidably supported within the first section and including rectangularly arranged walls and a bottom, a pair of latches at opposite ends of said other section, said latches each including a resilient member connected at the bottom of said other section, and extending upwardly to project outwardly from the ends of said other section at the top thereof, said outwardly projecting portons of said resilient members being engageable with the upper edge of said first basket member when in an elevated Vposition and being resiliently fiexible to locations inwardly of said upper edge of said upper section, whereby said other section may be lowered within said first section and cooperable means on said sections to limit downward movement of said other section.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said first section includes diagonal corner members and said other section includes an upper rim engageable with said diagonal corner members, said diagonal corner members and upper rim member comprising the cooperable means described.

3. The structure of claim 1 and including means retracting said outwardly projecting portons, said last named means including cooperable portons on both said sections engageable upon upward movement of said other section within said first section.

4. A collapsible freezer basket including a pair of basket sections in telescoping relation, one of said sections including upper and lower generally rectangular wire rod frames and wire connecting means connecting said frames in spaced parallel relation, the other of said sections including a rectangular Wire frame member and generally U-shaped lframe members suspended between opposite sides of this rectangular frame member, and latch means at .opposite ends .of said other section including generally U-shaped parallel bottom forming members secured parallel Vto the U-shaped frame .members suspended between two opposed sides of said rectangular frame of said other section and including outwardly projecting hook portons projectingoutwardly from the center of the other section at opposite sides thereof, `said hook portons including reversely bent upwardly and inwardly inclined cam portons, the .ends of the cam sections at each side of the section being connected by a handle member, .said U-shaped members forming said latch means being resilient, said hook portons engaging over the upper .frame of said one section and being resiliently retractable into said upper frame, said cam portons being engageable with said upper frame member upon relative upward movement of said other section to fiex said latch means inwardly.

5. The structure of claim 4 and including means for limiting downward telescoping movement of said inner .frame member into said outer frame member.

6. The structure described in claim 5 and in which said hook portions extend through the walls of said one section in lowered position of said other section.

7. A freezer basket including a pair of telescoping basket Sections, one of said Sections comprising generally rectangularly arranged walls, the other of said Sections including generally rectangularly arranged walls of a size to slide within the walls of said one section, and a latch at each end of said other section, each saidlatch including a pair of resilient rods secured to said other section at a point substantially spaced from the top thereof and extending inwardly of the walls of said other section, hook portions on said rods extending outwardly from the upper ends thereof and engageable with the upper edges of two opposed walls of said one section, upwardly and inwardly inclined portions connected to the outer ends of said hook portions, and a connecting handle portion connecting said cam portions, said two opposed walls of said one section having openings therethrough between the top and bottom thereof through which portions of said hook portions and cam portions of said latches may extend in a lowered position of said other section, said resilient rods being inwardly flexible to flex said hook portions inwardly of said opposed walls of said one section.

8. The structure of claim 7 and including inter-engageable means on said Sections to limit downward telescoping of said other section within said one section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

